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www.pbgv.org
June 2012
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Saber Tails
From Kitty Steidel, 2012 PBGVCA National judge:
F
irst, it was an honor to have been selected to judge
the national! Thank you for entrusting me with
this special task. I hope everyone enjoyed our
weather and the arrangements Suzanne made for your
stay. I was surely impressed with the baskets each state
provided and that idea was a big hit. How that concept
evolved in a short time was amazing. I heard the
Breeders’ Back-to-Basics was a huge success as well
as Dr. Vadja’s seminar. The prospective judges in
attendance and being mentored were impressed with the
quality of the dogs and their people. My husband, my best
critic, thought I was a bit dramatic in my examination of
dogs on the table, holding up the tail and moving to the
side, but I assured him I was trying to give the best possible
view of the stack to the judges being mentored.
In general there was a depth of quality not generally
seen! I HAD CHOICES. That is rare and a judge’s reward of
the day. To find details of breed type blending so well into a
whole package and to find such quality in more than one
dog in a class was very exciting for me. Thank you to you
serious breeders and exhibitors for all your hard work.
Having spent 40-plus years in the sport and 26 years
involved with PBGVs, I applaud your commitment.
Breeding dogs is hard work, and today I see you sharing
dogs, ideas and real concern about the health of our breed.
What more specifically was observed? The breed’s great
temperament and attitude; lovely heads created by the large,
dark somewhat oval eyes; slightly domed heads with proper
fine ear leathers; low earset and leathers short of the end of
nose. I found good bites; many more compact bodies sup-
ported, not suspended, by strong legs beneath. I saw only a
few long, low overall outlines, which must be considered
the drag of the breed. And with the bodies becoming more
compact, nature balances with a shorter tail and muzzle.
There were a variety of coats, for the most part coarse, and
neatened just so the outline/features might be observed,
but not so coiffed, shaped by scissors and overly sculpted.
All in all, the dogs were casual, compact, sound and well-
presented. One note: I realize ‘product’ might be needed
to tidy up from show to show, but all product should be
removed before the trip into the ring.
Rears have come a long way. Toplines are more level
because the front and rear angles are more matched. This
accounts for efficient motion and overall outline standing
or moving.
The winners probably all had minor faults which were
barely perceptible because the dogs’ virtues dwarfed any
shortcomings. I looked for the stack in motion, head up
but out, ease of movement instead of many steps or
busyness to get from A to B. Note: Some dogs were moved
way too fast, breaking gait; this is handler error. Find your
dog’s best speed.
What needs attention? Some dogs
lacked strong underjaw; some ears were
thick and flat, not fine and supple; some
dogs needed improvement in shoulder
and upper arm and front assembly
attachment; a few sternums were flat;
a few coats were softer than desirable.
I hope everyone noticed how
wonderfully conditioned the hunting
dog entrees were! Refer to your standard,
your CD the club has provided you
which delineate the history of the
Vendéen hounds and their necessary
traits. Ignoring history and purpose is to
remove the ideal and resort to individual
“I likes ...” Our standard clearly demands
those attributes that would enable the PBGV to hunt game
over rough and difficult terrain. In the show ring we cannot
actually determine if a dog could indeed do his job, but
we can certainly determine his probability to meet the
challenge by evaluating how he makes use of the features
he possesses.
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sPBGVCA 2012 National/Regional Judge Critiques
Photos by Bob Cohen